También disponible en español
A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination and instill a love of learning
Brad Henry
The teacher you choose to support you in your English learning plays a fundamental role in your progress and improvement. However, finding a good English teacher can be tricky, especially with the increasing number of English teachers around. Nowadays, students are offered such a wide variety of learning options, from classes for kids to classes for adults, by telephone or face to face, from 10€/hour to 40€/hour; with all these different possibilities it’s no wonder that students just don’t know how to choose! So, I thought I would write a series of articles where we will take a look at the questions you should ask yourself when looking for a good English teacher.
Here are the questions that we will cover over the coming months:
- Does my teacher need to be native?
- Which are better, online classes or in person?
- Should classes follow a textbook or be conversation-based?
Today, we will start with question number 1:
Does my teacher need to be native?
There is a common belief that in order to learn English, it is necessary to hire a native English teacher. Typically, people feel they will only be able to speak English like a native if their teacher is native, and they worry that choosing a bilingual teacher will reduce their likelihood of being able to get rid of their Spanish accent. It’s clear to me, however, that both native and non-native teachers have their pros and cons.
One benefit of hiring a native teacher is their wide range of vocabulary, especially when it comes to the more colloquial words and expressions. They may also have better pronunciation for students to pick up on, although nowadays there are more non-native than native English speakers in the world, so the obsession with having the perfect pronunciation is a bit irrelevant. The point is, if the teacher doesn´t have any teaching experience, it doesn’t matter how well they speak or how much vocabulary they know; if they don’t know how to teach, the students won’t learn. This is especially common during the summer when natives from the UK, USA, Australia and so on, travel to Spain for a few months and offer English classes to make a bit of money. These native speakers are not necessarily experienced or qualified and although they can offer interesting conversation classes for advanced students, they will not be able to effectively teach lower-level students. For this reason, an experienced non-native but bilingual teacher would be much more beneficial. Experienced teachers know how to help students really learn the language by identifying the students’ strengths and weaknesses. Bilingual teachers also have the advantage of having already gone through the ups and downs of learning English, and this experience can really help motivate and encourage students. They could also have the benefit of being able to speak the students’ native language which is a bonus when teaching lower-level students.
So to summarise; it is not a matter of being native or bilingual that makes a good English teacher. The most important factors we need to consider are their teaching experience and teaching methods. A good teacher should be passionate about English, should motivate and encourage their students to want to learn the language and, most of all should make the learning experience an enjoyable one. If you find a teacher that ticks all these boxes, there’ll be no limit to your English learning possibilities.
If you have any questions or doubts about choosing your teacher, then remember to contact us or leave us a comment. If you find this article interesting, feel free to share it!
